Key Moments: Wilfork and Ridley make big plays at important times in win over the Raiders

Here are the key moments for both the Patriots’ offense and the defense in Sunday’s win over the Raiders:

DEFENSE: With just over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Raiders, the Patriots were holding a 31-13 edge and looking to shut the door on a pesky Oakland team that had been hanging around for three-plus quarters. With the Raiders in a first and 10 at the New England 30, Oakland quarterback Jason Campbell dropped back and looked for running back Darren McFadden out of the backfield.

However, Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork picked off Campbell, and then proceeded to rumble with the ball all the way down to the New England 19. While the Patriots were unable to turn the interception into points, it effectively ended the game for New England. It marked the second interception of the season for Wilfork, who also picked off a ball in the Week Two win over the Chargers, and the second interception of the game for the Patriots, who got a first-half interception from safety Pat Chung in his return.

OFFENSE: The Patriots were holding on to a 17-10 advantage at the start of the second half, but with the New England defense coming off a shaky first half, the lead looked a little tenuous. But the Patriots put together an extremely efficient seven-play, 81-yard drive that took 3:53 and was highlighted by a 33 -yard run from rookie running back Stevan Ridley. The LSU product, who picked up the first touchdown of his professional career, shot around the right side, picking up great blocks from tight end Rob Gronkowski and tackle Nate Solder en route to the end zone. The score made it 24-10, and allowed the Patriots to regain a measure of momentum to start the second half.